>> welcome to the "journal" coming to you from dw in berlin. >> good to have you with us. our top story this hour -- germany investing 10 billion euros to ensure renewable energy is available. >> will the debate be different in america after the new town school massacre. -- newtown school massacre?

>> german policymakers say the countries making good progress and plans to phase out nuclear energy and increase its dependence on renewable energy. >> in berlin this morning, they delivered their first assessment of infrastructure changes that will be needed to phase out nuclear power by 2020. >> with federal elections next year, energy is a key policy issue, and the government says 10 billion euros is being invested to keep the country's infrastructure up to date. >> germany's economics minister and environment ministers say they want to work together to complete the country's energy transformation. in the past, they have squabbled about details, but now, they say they are united. >> we are going to reach our goals. environmental protection by phasing of nuclear energy and expanding the use of renewals, ensuring energy security despite turning off eight nuclear plants, and a third aspect -- to

make it affordable. >> the economics minister has often warned against soaring energy costs. prices for wind and solar power have gone up, in part due to the cost of expanding the cost -- expanding the power grid to deliver the power it is needed, and because germany's 16 states do not have a unified energy policy. >> we urgently need a national consensus that includes germany 's 16 states. we all need to come to the same table. >> but many independent economists are concerned that the german government is falling behind in the effort to meet its goals. for instance, they say more needs to be done to make buildings more energy efficient. >> for more, let's go now to our political correspondent, who is standing by in our parliamentary studios. how much progress has been made in this plan to phase out nuclear power? >> germany is now producing 23% of its energy needs from nobles,

which is good news for the government. it is better in fact that the government was expecting, but the main problem, i think, is that the major sources of renewable energies are in the north of the country, and that the industry is concentrated in the south of the country. the problem is how to get the renewable energy to the south of the country, and that is what this power corridor is all about. it is a very expensive project, but it is obviously necessary, although there is controversy within the country. there are southern states who say it would be better to invest more in solar energy, and that is because they can produce it there close to the industry. there's a lot of money involved, and that, of course, colors the argument. >> who is going to pay for it? in the end, who will own the infrastructure? >> there are four main

facilities companies in germany -- power facilities, and they will be bearing the cost, but of course, it finally comes down to the ordinary person in germany. the problem of rising power prices is a problem been much debated, but some point out the price of electricity has been pretty stable in the last 10 years -- round about 2.5% of gdp, and therefore there's quite a lot of room for maneuvering. >> thanks for the update. south korean tv stations are projecting the winner of the presidential election. she would be the country's first female president. >> most of the votes have been counted, and tv networks say the conservative candidate and daughter of former dictator has one victory over her liberal

rival. for the very latest, we have a reporter from seoul. if there is official confirmation, what we can expect from the new president in terms of policy? >> she is from the conservative party here. although she has most recently softened her policy stance, she has been promising social welfare programs while on the campaign trail. even a softer stance toward north korea. the major issues of this election were economic issues. a high unemployment rate for youth. hi household tax. she really campaigned on

economic concerns. she said a few days ago during a debate that as a woman, she feels she is best at handling a crisis and she is ready to become the mother of the nation. >> you mentioned she would be the first woman to hold this post in the country. how significant is that for south koreans? >> many young south korean women i have spoken with do not really feel that park represents them. she grew up in a life of luxury, pretty much as close to royalty as you can get here. she has not done very much for many feminist causes during her 15 years in policy-making, so people do not believe she is going to make any real impact on the livelihood of women here in south korea. >> thank you very much for that. >> the german president has paid his respects to the 52 german soldiers killed in afghanistan.

>> he prayed for the fallen soldiers at the german military base, the final stop on the german president's three-day visit to afghanistan. >> he called the german mission a success and promised germany's continued support for afghanistan, even after i saw troops officially withdraw in 2014. >> an official inquiry to the deadly attack on the u.s. consulate in libya has found security was grossly inadequate. >> the attack in september killed the u.s. ambassador and three other americans. the report has blamed systemic failures and leadership deficiencies at the state department. the secretary of state says she will adopt all of the recommendations. >> the inquiry also found that americans had no warning of the attack and little knowledge of the threat posed by local militia. >> funerals will be held today for six victims of the newtown school massacre, including the school principal.

>> the incident has once again put the spotlight on gun control in america and the country's powerful gun lobby. the national rifle association has spoken out for the first time since the massacre. >> americans exercising their right to bear arms in the state of virginia, part of their constitutional guarantee to self-defense, but the deaths in connecticut have revived the debate about what kinds of weapons are needed for self- defense. many now want washington to come up with stricter laws about public access to guns. that would include a ban on semi-automatic weapons like the one used to kill people in newtown. >> i do not believe the second amendment covers them. the second amendment was written and a long time before this class of weapons was founded, merchandise, and spread all over our country. >> the national rifle

association has broken its silence about last week's killings. in a statement, the nra says its members are shocked and saddened by the horrific and senseless murders. the powerful lobby has a press conference scheduled for friday, and some hope that it will accept stronger restrictions on the sale of assault weapons, but many gun owners think a ban is useless. >> my opinion is that is a natural knee-jerk reaction. we had an assault weapon ban in the pace -- in the past. that law expired and expired for a reason -- it served no purpose. >> the rifle used to slaughter children in newtown is selling like hotcakes because many gun fans fear it and similar assault weapons could soon be banned, but the massacre of 26 women and children have changed the tone of the gun ownership debate and may wind up making it much harder for americans to obtain firearms.

>> the united nations children's agency unicef and the well had organization have -- who have suspended polio vaccinations in pakistan. >> nine people have been killed since the start of a polio revocation campaign that began on monday. pakistan is one of just three countries in the world still struggling to eliminate the disease. the taliban has stopped vaccination teams from entering some parts of the country and spread rumors that the teams are a cover-up for spy campaigns in a plot to sterilize muslims. >> german business confidence has risen again for the second month in a row. although europe's biggest economy is experiencing a slowdown, this fresh optimism for the six months ahead. >> the closely watched fio -- ifo index climbed by one point this month. only wholesalers and retailers are not sharing the positive outlook. the index takes the pulse of

7000 companies across germany. for more now, we had to the franc fort -- frankfurt stock exchange. positive news on the german economy. has that brought some cheer on the floor there? >> this is indeed a very nice christmas present and a strong signal that the german economy will recover again after its winter sleep, but the dax did not make a huge step forward. the stronger than expected ifo index may prevent european central banks from lowering interest rates again. >> we have had developments also in a libor scandal that broke earlier this summer. tell us about that. >> yes, the news is very bad. ubs has to pay the record fine of 1.2 billion euros in this libor scandal and its manipulation of interest rates.

some british banks also have to pay millions of euros, and also deutsche bank is involved, and it is also in focus because exactly one week ago, hundreds of policemen into a bank in search of proof of tax fraud. hsbc has to pay $2 billion in a money-laundering case. the financial industry is working very hard for its bad reputation. the german dax is up 0.3%. euro stoxx 50 up .3%, and the euro is coming close to $1.30. >> finally good news for the indebted country. the u.s. ratings agency standard and poor's has upgraded greece's credit ratings.

their best reading since june 2011. >> the agency they credited the eurozone strong support for greece, and it is committed to keeping athens in the currency. the upgrade comes after the successful creek by that program earlier this month. the former ceo of car maker porsche is facing charges of market manipulation relating to the company's attempt to buy volkswagen back in 2008. >> is accused of denying portion of's takeover plans, although the move was already under way. prosecutors say that had an impact on the share price, and investors were misled. the takeover ultimately failed, and portia was itself bought out by vw. -- porsche itself was bought out by volkswagen.

>> 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, and lift off. >> on board are one american, one russian, and a canadian. it will take a crack about to be would days to reach the iss. -- it will take the craft about two days to reach the iss. vulcanologists in russia have been able to get a glimpse of a spectacular eruption in siberia. it began erupting in late november. >> huge areas of the surrounding tundra and wildlife have been destroyed by the lava stream. it is pouring out thousands of tons of law every second. the volcano last erupted in the 1970's in one is -- in what is one of the world's most volcanic regions.

>> stay with us. you are watching the "journal" coming to you from dw in berlin. after a short break, we look at how more and more journalists are coming under harms way than ever before.

>> welcome back. every so often, we are reminded that journalism can be a dangerous occupation. reporters without borders says 2012 was the deadliest year for journalists since it began collecting statistics in 1995. >> a few days ago, a high- profile reporter from u.s. tv station nbc escaped death when he broke free from his kidnappers in syria, but many journalists have not been so lucky. >> the civil war in syria has made it the world's most dangerous place for journalists. at least 17 reporters and 44 blockers were killed there in 2012.

the japanese journalist was one of them, killed in april during a clash between government troops and protesters. -- 17 reporters and 44 bloggers. both the assad regime and the opposition have silence -- have used violence to silence reporters. total of 88 journalists were killed worldwide this year, 1/3 more than last year. the most dangerous countries were syria, followed by somalia, pakistan, mexico, and brazil. in mexico, the drug wars between the cartels and the state continue to escalate, and journalists are often caught up in the crossfire. six reporters were killed for attempting to report on the drug trade, corruption, or human rights violations. >> egyptians go to the polls on saturday in a second round of voting on a draft constitution. opposition parties have been

protesting against president morsi and his muslim brotherhood. democratic say it promotes an islamic agenda and was the country toward sharia law. there has been a rise in assaults against women. women in egypt are paying a high price for the country's revolution. violence and sexual assaults by men have become commonplace by day, evening, and night. the first brutal attacks took place during the revolution. an activist was filmed as she was set upon by dozens of men. >> the subways and buses are full of men. when we get in, they instantly tried to hit on us. it happens every day, but what choice do we have? we have got to go to university. >> a french reporter is group by a mob to close in on her after a live broadcast. she says the problem is widespread.

>> women in general are targets in egypt. >> a women's group is trying to document where and when the attacks take place. in just four days, 700 assaults by men were reported in cairo alone. they estimate the true figure to be much higher. this is a patrol. men and women come the streets, intervening to stop attacks and provided by some staying safe. they stay until nightfall. mukasey civil society under threat. >> women are now scared to go out. as mothers, we sit on our balcony's in the evenings and wait for our daughters. we are afraid something might happen to them.

egypt is no longer safe. >> the reasons why are many -- not enough police on the streets. chaos in government and daily life. a lack of moral role models, and pent-up sexual frustration. one sociologists believe that does not fully explain why violence against women has gone up. he has another more controversial theory. he says at the heart of the issue of the reactionary attitudes toward women and the world among the victors of the revolution. >> it is the mindset of the muslim brothers. that is the underlying reason for the sexual harassment. they see women as an object for satisfying their lust. they consider women's hair, their appearance, voices, clothing to be in pure even in a very presence of the company of men. they declare women as a whole to be impure. >> how do respected imams broached the subject? this is the mosque near tahrir

square. he goes on the offensive in his friday sermon, taking aim at the perpetrators. >> young people who do that have no idea what islam is about. i just said in a sermon that islam forbids every form of sexual harassment against women, and it is very clear on that. >> many attacks take place on public transport. women's rights activists are now using buses and subways as a platform. they read out statements from women who have been assaulted by men. it has now become the no. 1 talking point in cairo. women are fighting back. if they do not, they fear the ruling islamists could crush hopes of more democracy and greater rule of law. they say it is time to stop suffering in silence. >> all right, it stinks, it is expensive, and most importantly, it has been proven to cause

cancer. even so, many people still love their cigarettes. >> in europe, the commission is recommending changes to packaging that committee have a little less attractive. graphic pictures and warnings would cover 3/4 of the packaging. >> a picture of a woman seriously ill on a cigarette pack. graphic images like these could soon be standard across europe. the proposal leaves just 1/3 of the packaging for branding. the european commission wants to put young people in particular off their first cigarette. >> 700,000 citizens in the european union die prematurely because of tobacco. >> the proposal also includes an outright ban on menthol cigarettes. in the future, no artificial roma's will be allowed to mask the flavor. >> my aim here is that people can take an informed decision

when they look at a pack of cigarettes, by getting the clear message that the product they buy harms. >> the proposal goes to the european council and european parliament, time the tobacco industry will no doubt use to try to snub it out. >> turning out to soccer, and no christmas cheer for shelf debt. they are out of the german cup. >> he had hoped to turn around the fortunes with his debut as head coach, but even a radical redesign on the starting lineup could not stave off the type play. the royal blues were behind on the half-hour marked. schalke rallied after the break. 15 minutes, and then leveled the

score. the coach was sent to the stands after forcefully protesting a foul by schalke's jones. the turnaround was short-lived. they gave it one last go, but in the end, it went home with a spot in the quarterfinal, and it was a fitting end to a disappointing year. >> the action continues later on wednesday with the remaining four-cup fixtures. top of the bill is the clash between dortmund and hanover. from the top team will be hoping to secure place in the quarter finals in the last competitive match of 2012, but they've got a growing injury list, just like visitors and over, they will be for by the track record. hanover have never been beaten by dortmund in the cup.

>> now, a sigh of relief because apparently we are not headed for the end of the world after all. there has been a lot of chatter about the end of the mayan calendar, which some say could mean we and our planet have until friday to live. >> scientists have done some research and say it was all a big misunderstanding. >> these two men according to their calculations, christmas can go ahead after all. the academics from the czech republic say a mistake was made when the mayan calendar was synchronized with our own. it does not end now but in 2116. >> we fed 11,000 pieces of data into our computer. we looked at real astronomic events from over 900 years in the mayan calendar, and we look

at how they matched up with our calendar. our pattern fit the mayan 1. >> the brothers found that our fears of impending doom are premature by 104 years. their theory gained plenty of attention in scientific journals. this is one of three surviving mayan books, kept at the saxony state library in the german city of dresden. it served as the basis for the calculations. interest has surged. visiting numbers are up, even if nothing is likely to happen. >> on december 21, 400 years in the mine calendar and. it does not say it is the end of the world. that is just what some have interpreted. >> the brothers' research costs a lot of upset and changed everything researchers have long held to be correct. >> it came as a shock to the

international scientific community. all my publications were based on the old days. that is thousands of books. you might as well throw the ball away. when they say the mayas built a pyramid in the year 500, we say that is wrong -- it was 604. >> is this what awaits us on thursday? probably not, but just to be sure, hollywood cashed in ahead of time. it is not known if they release is planned for 2116. >> before we go, some is just coming in -- a german news agency reported that the former german defense minister has died at the age of 69. we bring you the details on the story as soon as they come in our next edition of the "journal." >> thanks for joining us. we will see you next time. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--